Moving on at last
by Demon Chibi
Summary: Kagome's heart has become cold. Can our ice lord Sesshomaru warm it again?
1. Chapter 1

_**Moving on at last**_

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

Kagome let a soft sigh escape her lips. It had finally happened. Inuyasha had told Kagome that he was leaving to be with Kikyo. After months of running off in the middle of the night almost every night he finally said it. Kagome felt slightly insulted that Inuyasha didn't think she had figured it out long ago. If that hadn't given it away the way Kikyo's scent clung to him and the marks she left on him after every encounter would have been a dead give away. Kagome had thought it would hurt more but over the few months of watching him sneak away every night only to return at dawn had left her numb to the world.

'I just wish he had come to this decision last year.' Kagome thought to herself as she leaned against Keade's hut. A year previous they had confronted Naraku and won. After that Inuyasha asked her to stay and someday be his mate. Kagome had been stupid and when he said that he loved her she had agreed. Permanently loosing her chance to return home. Looking back Kagome should have known something was wrong since he didn't ask her to be his mate right then. The news spread that they were engaged. Not long after hearing the news Kouga realized he would never have Kagome and asked Ayame to be his mate. Now they had three energetic pups running around and they both seemed really happy. A few weeks after killing Naraku Miroku and Sango had announced that they were leaving for her home village. Kagome felt like she should be happy for all of them but now Kagome was alone and couldn't find it in herself.

"Child." Kaede said as she came out of her hut and looked at Kagome. "It will be alright you'll see. I'm sure it hurts now but it'll get better." She said placing a wrinkled hand on Kagome's head. "Why don't you practice your archery? That always seems to cheer you up." Kagome had become increasingly better over the last year. Though in the past few weeks after Inuyasha had told her the truth and left she had thrown her all into it. Everyday she would spend hours practicing and if it wasn't for the gloves Kaede now forced on her Kagome's hands would surely be raw after every session. Kaede had never seen a better archer in her life.

Kagome nodded and let out another sigh. "It might help." She stood up and retrieved her bow which she never strayed from these days. Kaede watched her walk away towards where she liked to practice. The well. Kagome would spend hours just shooting arrow after arrow at the old bone eaters well only pausing to retrieve them.

**Elsewhere**

"Lord Sesshomaru I think I hear something." Rin said as she looked around. It was a rhythmic _thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk_. "What is it?" She asked looking up at the man.

"It's arrows." He said looking off towards where the sound originated. He sniffed the air then without a word started walking in the direction.

"My lord! Where are you going?" Squawked Jaken indignantly as he hurried after.

"This way obviously." Rin said with a laugh as she bounced along beside Sesshomaru. Jaken glared at Rin in response but had learned the hard way what happens if he speaks nastily towards her.

After a few minutes they came upon a clearing and saw Kagome standing there fully focusing on shooting at the well. They stood there in silence as they watched her strike the same spot over and over again. Kagome let another arrow go then as she drew her next one swiveled to face them.

"What do you want?" She asked as she pulled back the arrow and readied to let it fly.

"Wow! How can you do that blindfolded?" Rin asked unperturbed by the arrow aimed at them. Hearing Rin's voice Kagome let the arrow go slack and pulled the blindfold off.

"Practice." She said as the girl ran over to her and gave her a hug that she gingerly returned. Over time she had grown to love the easy going always cheerful girl but in Kagome's numb state she felt no joy at seeing the girl.

"Can you teach me?" Rin asked as she plucked one of the arrows from the well. She had to give it her all to pull it out since it was stuck a good inch into the wood. Once the arrow was free she walked back over to Kagome as she marveled over the arrow in her hands.

"I'm not a good teacher." Kagome said as she walked over to gather the other arrows. "Also the decision if you learned or not would be that of your guardian not me." Kagome said once she righted herself and turned back to them.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin screeched happily as she ran over to him. "Please can I learn? Please? Please? Please?" After he didn't immediately say yes she gave him the puppy eyes which always made Sesshomaru bend to her every wish. The problem is she knew it too.

"I will allow you to learn." He said as he looked Kagome over thoughtfully. Something was different about the miko. She seemed lackluster and it seemed like she was missing something important. Rin was already cheering and saying thank you next to him with Jaken trying to get her to shut up when he held up a hand to silence her. "There is a condition." He said as he looked Kagome in the eye. "You have to convince Kagome to teach you." Rin looked between Sesshomaru and Kagome noticing how the two gave each other cold looks. She was ecstatic at the idea of having Kagome teach her but Kagome didn't seem as pleased.

"I said I would not teach her." Kagome said as she matched Sesshomaru's characteristic icy tone.

"You said you're not a good teacher. You never said you wouldn't teach her." Sesshomaru said back feeling slightly smug at the indignant look that quickly crossed Kagome's face before she hid it behind her new icy mask.

"I'm saying it now. I. Will. Not. Teach. Her." Kagome said saying every word succinctly.

"You say that now." Sesshomaru said almost smiling. Without another word he walked over to a nearby tree and gracefully sat down. Kagome watched him cautiously. What she should have been worrying about was the attack from the side she received that sent her falling on her ass as she turned to grab an arrow. When she noticed it was Rin she paused and forced herself to release the arrow. Rin had snuck up beside Kagome while she was watching Sesshomaru cautiously and had tackled her.

"Please Kagome." Rin pleaded giving her her best puppy eyes. Kagome just looked at her unmoved by the fake tears.

"Rin." Kagome said as she looked at the child. "The puppy eyes don't work on me. Hell they were my trademark when I was a child." Kagome said gently removing the child from where she sat on Kagome.

Rin lost the puppy eyes in the blink of an eye as a slightly annoyed look crossed her face. No one had ever been able to say no to the puppy eyes. "Kagome please teach me? I just want the chance to maybe someday be as good as you are." Rin said resorting to flattery. "It's like magic to watch you. You're so graceful and sure with your movements."

"Nice try kid." Kagome said as she readied another arrow.

Sesshomaru was now intrigued. At first he had thought it would just be amusing to watch Kagome bend under the child's pleas but now he couldn't help but wonder what had happened to her. "What has caused this change in you girl?" He asked as he watched her try to avoid shooting Rin as she bounced around in front of her. "Rin. Come." He ordered when he noticed that Kagome needed all of her concentration to not shoot the girl. Rin pouted but did as she was told and made her way over to him and flopped down on the grass next to him. Kagome let out a small sigh. "Well?" He asked as he watched Kagome quickly and efficiently send one arrow after the next flying.

"Nothing happened." Kagome said with no real emotion as she sent her last arrow flying.

Sesshomaru took a shot in the dark. "Where's Inuyasha? I do not smell even his lingering scent here." That had been the first thing Sesshomaru had noticed. His brother's scent normally permeated the place so badly that Sesshomaru couldn't even stand to be in the area. The twitch he saw when he mentioned Inuyasha's name told him he was on the right track. "So?" He asked raising a brow when Kagome didn't respond.

"He left." She said with an icy tone that could make Sesshomaru look like a ray of sunshine. "What else is there to say? As you can obviously smell he isn't here and hasn't been here for a long time." While Kagome had been speaking she had been gathering her arrows again and now that she was done speaking she let one fly and land with a thunk. Rin looked at Kagome wide eyed. Kagome had in one motion spun around and before fully stopping had let an arrow fly and land in the tree mere millimeters from Sesshomaru's neck. "Now if you'll excuse me." She said walking away from the pair.

Once she was gone Sesshomaru let out a chuckle. The little innocent miko he had known had grown into a very intriguing woman that he couldn't help but want to figure out.

~So here's chapter one. I thought of this story line randomly and decided that I had to write it. I hope you all like it.

So until next time please Read and Review and I'll work on getting the second chapter of this out *cough* while working on my other two ongoing projects *sweat drop*


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

"I am going to scream." Kagome ground out between her teeth. It had been two weeks since Sesshomaru and Rin had first shown up in the clearing and everyday since they had come back. She had tried to shoot Sesshomaru more then once out of annoyance but nothing deterred the two. The amused look in Sesshomaru's eyes every time she failed to hit him only furthered to infuriate Kagome.

"Child what's the matter? You've been irritated the past few weeks." Kaede asked finally deciding to confront the girl.

"Nothing. It's nothing." Kagome said as she shot an arrow into a nearby tree. Since the previous day she had confined herself to the village to avoid Sesshomaru and have a little peace.

"If you say so child." Kaede said disbelievingly. She would give Kagome some more time. Eventually Kagome would talk to her as she always did.

"Where's Kagome?" Rin asked looking up at Sesshomaru with glistening eyes. "She wasn't here yesterday either."

Sesshomaru ignored the child and with a barely visible smirk turned towards the nearby village. Over the last few weeks torturing Kagome daily had become one of his most enjoyable pastimes. To his surprise the girl just became more interesting to him daily. Sesshomaru couldn't help but be interested in what his newest toy had decided to do. "Come." He said pointedly when Rin didn't automatically follow him. After the third day when Kagome had succeeded in shooting the complaining demon in the ass Sesshomaru had decided to leave Jaken behind.

Soon they reached the village and could hear the distinct sound of arrows hitting wood that Sesshomaru had honestly become fond of. As soon as Rin heard the sound she hurried off towards where she knew Kagome would be. "Kagome!" Rin shouted when she reached her and flung herself at the startled woman. "Why are you here? We were waiting for you in the clearing." Rin said looking up at Kagome with tears already threatening to fall.

Kagome looked at the child and sighed. 'Great tears.' She thought to herself. "I was needed in the village." Kagome gave an internal sigh when the tears disappeared.

"Oh." Rin said looking up at Kagome. "Rin was worried you didn't want to see her." Sesshomaru said coming up behind the two.

"What's going on out there?" Kaede asked as she exited her hut. "Lord Sesshomaru why are you in our village?" She asked politely when she noticed the demon.

"Just visiting the little miko." Sesshomaru said looking down with amusement in his eyes at Kagome. In return Kagome glared at Sesshomaru as she tried to get Rin off of herself.

Kaede looked between the two and almost smiled when the final piece of the puzzle fell into place. "Child why don't you come with me and let these two talk?" Kaede asked Rin. The child looked at her then the other two and nodded. When the two were out of view Kagome bolted to her feet.

"Who do you think you are?" Kagome exploded as she stomped towards Sesshomaru. "I said I was uninterested so why must you insist on harassing me?" At this point Kagome was less then a foot away from Sesshomaru. He watched her in amusement as she proceeded to rant and rave. After a few minutes of screaming at the demon Kagome realized he wasn't listening. She reached out and grabbed a lock of his hair and gave it a firm tug effectively pulling his whole head down towards her with a yelp.

Sesshomaru let out an annoyed growl at the nerve of the girl. No one had ever dared to do that. "Am I understood?" She hissed into his face. "Leave me alone or I will purify your demon ass!" She released the lock of hair and quickly turned around effectively smacking him in the face with her long hair. Sesshomaru let out an angry growl that caused the hair on Kagome's neck to stand up as she walked away from him.

"Oh my what was that?" Kaede asked herself as she heard a loud thud. She hurried out of her hut with Rin close behind and froze in surprise at the scene that met her. Sesshomaru had Kagome pinned against a nearby tree with his claws mere inches from her neck while she had an arrow positioned directly for his heart. The two forms were panting as they glared at each other. Obviously Kaede had missed an interesting fight. Sesshomaru had a deep slash marking his left cheek where Kagome had slashed at him with the sharpened tip of her arrows. Kagome was no better her sleeve was ripped and she had three slash marks marring her arm and the side of her chest where she had sloppily dodged an attack. "What is the matter with you two?" She asked as she marched over to the two. When neither even glanced at her she reached up and grabbed both of their ears and pulled hard. The two had been so focused on each other that they hadn't even noticed the old woman approach so they both cried out when she pulled them apart. "I said what is the matter with you both?" Kaede asked again when the pair turned to glare at her. When Kagome opened her mouth to say 'nothing' she immediately closed it again when she saw the look on Kaede's face. "Both of you get in my hut so I can address your wounds."

"I do not require your help human." Sesshomaru said coldly as he stepped out of the woman's reach.

"Do not act like a child." She said with a disapproving look on her face. When he did nothing but glare at her coldly she smirked. "Rin my dear why don't you help me get that stubborn demon into my hut?" Kaede asked the child who was more then happy to help and between the two of them they got the annoyed pair into her hut. Sesshomaru's cut wasn't as bad as Kaede had first assumed and Kagome's wounds were worse they she had first assumed.

Sesshomaru watched was Kaede moved on to Kagome's wounds and felt a pang of guilt when he saw the damage he had done. The feeling of guilt alone was enough to surprise Sesshomaru.

"Child you're gonna have to remove the top for me to treat this." Kaede said as she finished her work on Kagome's arm and settled in to work on the second wound. "Sesshomaru if you would..." Kaede turned to ask him to leave but stopped when Kagome proceeded to strip in front of him.

"Just finish." Kagome said as she stared at the wall.

Sesshomaru eyed Kagome's bare back with interest. "Don't be so surprised Sesshomaru." Kagome said without even looking at him. "Why should I care if you see me? This wouldn't be the first time." Kagome said coldly. Sesshomaru looked at her back and tried to think of what she meant. After a moment he remembered that not once but twice while searching out his half brother he had run across the miko changing and had gotten quite an eye full both times.

Lost in thought he watched her back and couldn't help compare how she had changed since then. Her body had matured greatly. Sesshomaru was also surprised to note multiple scars marring her otherwise flawless back that hadn't been there all those years ago. "Where did you get those scars?" He asked before he could stop himself.

Kagome's frame went rigid for a moment before she forced herself to relax. Most days she forgot they were there. "I'm human. Wounds don't heal as seamlessly for me as they do for you demons. Did you think that on my journey to collect the shards I never got injured?" Kagome said sarcastically. Sesshomaru couldn't respond since he had never considered that the group of humans might carry scars from their journey. Sometimes he forgot just how breakable humans were.

After a long pause Kagome let out a soft sigh. "Why do you want Rin to learn how to use a bow?"

Even though Sesshomaru was surprised he answered honestly. "I will not always be there to protect Rin and she is too weak to wield a sword properly. I have tried to teach her but she shows no natural skill with a sword and no matter how much practice she gets she doesn't improve. Maybe she'll have better luck with a bow."

Kagome paused to consider Sesshomaru's answer. "Fine I'll do it." Kagome said once Kaede was done dressing her wound. "We will be doing this my way though." When Sesshomaru just raised a brow at her back without a word Kagome continued. "We practice when I say so and we don't stop till I say so." Kagome paused for a second considering something quickly. "You need to do something for me though."

"Oh?" Sesshomaru asked curious what the miko would want from him.

"Teach me how to use a sword." She said once she pulled on a new shirt and turned to face him. "Deal?"

"Deal but the same rules apply to my training as yours." Sesshomaru said rising. Kagome nodded in acknowledgement since she had expected no less.

"Have Rin ready and properly dressed at the well by noon tomorrow." Kagome said as Sesshomaru left the hut. 'What have I gotten myself into?' Kagome thought to herself as she stood to leave the hut as well.

~*~Yes Kagome what have you gotten yourself into? :3

Hope you all liked this chapter. Please Read and Review!


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

"Kagome I'm tired." Rin whined for the hundredth time. They had started a few hours ago and to Rin's irritation they hadn't taken a break nor had she even been allowed to try using a bow yet.

"The real work hasn't began yet." Kagome said as she adjusted the small girl's form a little. Today was about stance and form which was made difficult by the fact that the little girl seemed to lack the ability to stand straight. "We'll call it a day in half an hour alright?" Kagome said with a sigh deciding to take pity on the girl. Rin looked at Kagome happily. "There's a catch though. You gotta put your all into the last half an hour." Kagome said catching Rin's eye. Rin nodded.

Thankfully Rin seemed to improve before they ended their session. It would still be a while before Kagome actually let the little girl use a bow but this was progress.

"Since Rin's training is over it's time for your's to start." Sesshomaru said rising from where he had been sitting. Kagome raised an eyebrow at him but didn't complain.

Rin sat down near a tree to watch. She was sure this was going to be a funny sight. After a few hours Rin's sides were hurting from all the laughing she had been doing. It was too funny to watch Kagome end up on her ass what seemed like every two seconds. Rin did note that Sesshomaru was being a lot harder on Kagome then he had been on Rin but she figured it was an age thing.

"Ow." Kagome whispered to herself as she got up for what felt like the hundredth time. Her ass and muscles were starting to ache. "I'm starting to think you are just having fun hitting me." She said as she quickly moved to block an incoming attack.

"A little but see how fast you're improving." Sesshomaru said. "When we started that would have landed you on your ass."

Kagome merely glared at him in response as she moved to block another attack. This continued on for a while and Kagome was falling on her ass less. Kagome had even managed to dodge one of Sesshomaru's attacks and playfully smack him in the ass with her wooden sword. In response Sesshomaru has twirled around surprising Kagome with another attack sending her to the ground again.

"We will end here for today." Sesshomaru said taking the practice sword away from Kagome. She let him take it and nodded.

"I suppose I should thank you now for beating the crap out of me?" She asked raising an eyebrow.

"If you wish." Sesshomaru said amused. "Today was just to see how well you learn and adjust. Tomorrow the real training begins." Kagome gulped involutarily. She could only imagine how much worse the training was going to be. "Rin come. It is time for us to go." Rin jumped up and ran to him. The two took off on the cloud that appeared at Sesshomaru's feet.

"Ouch." Kagome whispered pitifully as she let herself collapse to the ground. She had never felt so beaten and bruised. Hell she had even escaped the fight with Naraku with less damage. After a while Kagome picked herself up and returned to the village.

"Kagome you're back." Kaede said pleased. "How was the first day of training?"

"Painful." Kagome said with a wince.

"I'll make up something to help with that." Kaede said patting Kagome's hand. "In the meantime we've got visitors." Kagome perked up with curiousity. When they entered Kaede's hut Kagome let a small smile grace her lips.

"Kagome!" Shippo shouted as he launched himself at her causing her to whimper in pain. "Kagome? You alright?" He asked hopping back as he looked her over. "What happened?"

"It's alright Shippo I'm just sore from training." She said ruffling the small boy's hair. He looked at her worriedly but nodded. "How are you Sango and Miroku?" She asked looking at the other two.

"We're doing well." Sango said rising to give her friend a gentle hug. "How are you?" She paused. No one had told her or Miroku what had happened with Kagome and Inuyasha until a few minutes ago.

"I'm fine." Kagome said forcing a smile that didn't seem to fit on her face anymore. "Don't worry about me. You all have so much more to worry about."

"Kagome you know you're like a sister to me!" Sango fumed. "You should have come to see us. The only reason we didn't bring you along before was because you insisted that you wanted to stay here with Inuyasha."

"Calm down Sango getting upset would be bad for the baby." He said trying to coax her into sitting down. Sango grumbled but complied.

"Baby?" Kagome asked shocked.

"That's why we came here." Sango said with a smile. "I'm pregnant. When we found out I knew that I had to tell you."

"Congratulations." Kagome said with a true smile.

"Miroku practically passed out from shock." Sango said with a giggle. "Then when he snapped out of it he went into overprotective daddy mode. Who knew?" Sango said giving Miroku a playful shove.

They spent the rest of the night talking and Kagome felt almost like her old self for a while. "Kagome." Sango said as she was getting ready to go to sleep. "I'm really worried about you. I want you to seriously consider coming back with Miroku, Shippo, and I when we go. Shippo has missed you so much since we left. When I mentioned that we were coming to see you we had to hold him down so he wouldn't bolt out the door." Sango said laughing softly at the memory. "I honestly think getting away from this place might help you. Just tell me you'll think about it alright?" Sango asked with a pleading look.

"I promise to think about it." Kagome said giving Sango a reassuring look. Sango nodded and gave Kagome a hug.

"Good night then." Sango said as she turned to lay down next to Miroku who immediately pulled her close in his sleep.

"Maybe it would help." Kagome whispered to herself as she sat down outside of the hut.

_Here's another chapter :D_

_I hope you all like it! So day one of training down and a surprise visit. Kagome's gonna be busy ;)_

_Yes I know this chapter is short also and I'm sorry! Trust me I'm trying to work on give all of you longer chapters ^_^;_

_Also since I forgot to say it in my other update (New story **According to you** check it out :D) I'll say it now Happy Easter :)_

_Anyway please Read & Review!_

_Until next time! Enjoy!_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

_Alright so before I start this chapter I would like to apologize to everyone for how late this update is. I've had a lot of … stuff … going on. Anyway here it is and thank you all for waiting so patiently._

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><p>Sesshomaru growled as he rolled over for the hundredth time that night. It was almost morning and he couldn't get a certain miko out of his head. 'She's going to pay for this tomorrow.' He thought to himself as he let out a final growl and got up. Instinctively he looked over to where his ward was sleeping and after verifying that she was fine he sat back down. He couldn't fathom why that little spunky miko was seemingly stuck in his head. 'She's an amusing toy but this is irritating.' Sesshomaru thought to himself as tried to calm himself down before he got too mad and consequentially woke Rin up. 'If only Jaken or at least Ah'un were here then I'd be able to go clear my head.' Sesshomaru though as his legs twitched for movement. Whenever he was irritated or needed to think he liked to walk. Movement somehow helped put everything into perspective for him.<p>

An hour later a yawn could be heard in the small clearing and Sesshomaru instinctively looked over towards the little girl. 'Finally.' He thought with a sigh as he saw the little girl stir and rub her eyes tiredly.

"Lord Sesshomaru good morning!" She said brightly when she noticed him watching her. He nodded slightly and turned his eyes toward the tree line. "When are we going to go meet Kagome?" She asked happily as she got up.

"Now." He said standing up and Rin hurried to his side. Even though she was tired Rin giggled happily.

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><p>"Oooooooooooooow..." Kagome groaned out as she tried to get out of bed. She hadn't been in this much pain in a long time.<p>

"Kagome! Are you alright?" Sango asked worriedly as she rushed into the hut. "I heard you outside. What happened?"

"Don't worry Sango." Kagome said as she let her body fall back onto the bed. "Just did a lot of stuff my body isn't used to..." Kagome said as she winced and held back another groan as she tried to get out of bed again. Sango gave her friend a sympathetic look and helped haul her out of bed.

"Maybe you should go bathe and see if that helps your muscles? I can lend you Kirara and have her fly you to the nearest hot spring." Sango said brightly as she thought of the idea.

"That sounds amazing Sango." Kagome said brightening at the idea of a hot bath. Sango nodded and within a few minutes had Kagome on top of Kirara with her bathing supplies and flying off towards the nearest hot spring.

When Kagome got there she eased her way off of Kirara and carefully stripped. Once she was naked she placed her clothing in a neat pile and eased her way into the hot water. As the water touched her pain racked body Kagome let out a hiss but as she settled in and got comfortable she let out a sigh of bliss. "I'm gonna have to thank Sango for thinking of this." Kagome said as she reclined comfortably against a rock and rested her head against the edge. Kirara mewed and licked Kagome's cheek, causing Kagome to giggle, before curling up into a ball and taking a short nap.

After a few minutes Kagome reached over and picked up some soap and started cleaning herself slowly. Once she was done Kagome put the soap back where she had gotten it and started washing her hair. She decided to leave the soap in her hair for a little while to give it a chance to get it fully clean. Soon Kagome decided it was time to rinse off but instead of getting out let her body slump back against the rock and relax.

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><p>"Where's the miko?" Sesshomaru asked when her reached the village. Rin looked up at him then looked around and when she spotted Kaede ran to her.<p>

"Where's Kagome?" She asked as she bounced in place. Kaede smiled and rubbed the little girl's head.

"I believe I heard she went to take a bath." Kaede said thoughtfully. She looked up and chuckled as she noticed that Sesshomaru was already out of sight. 'This shall be interesting.' She thought to herself with a smile.

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><p>'There she is.' He thought with a pleased smile trying to work its way onto his face but after years of control the smile failed to surface. 'How can she be so relaxed and carefree out here by herself?' Sesshomaru thought disapprovingly. Before he realized it Sesshomaru had moved into the clearing and was only a few feet from the girl. When she didn't react Sesshomaru noticed the soft relaxed breathing and almost growled. She was fast asleep. Completely unguarded. Sesshomaru almost jumped when he heard an unexpected 'mew' from near his feet. He looked down and noticed Kirara sitting there seemingly at ease with a look of recognition in her eyes.<p>

The little cat stretched with a yawn and was engulfed in flames. Sesshomaru stepped back to allow the larger cat that emerged some more room. Kirara let out another yawn as she looked at Sesshomaru. Kirara's nose twitched as she sniffed Sesshomaru and after a moment walked a few feet away and curled up but kept her eyes on Sesshomaru.

'What a lax protector.' Sesshomaru thought as he watched the cat yawn at him again revealing her large sharp teeth. After a few more moments Kirara let her eyes close as she let herself fall into a light slumber. 'At least she's not out here completely by herself.' He thought as he looked over the cat again. The feline was obviously strong and moved as if she was used to sudden attacks but she had seemingly paid Sesshomaru next to no heed. Only a slight warning that she could hurt him is she wanted to. (_A/N: In case I was too vague like I am sometimes ^_^; Kirara changing form and yawning to purposefully reveal her large sharp teeth was the little warning but because she recognized him she didn't attack him. Hope that helps in case I confused any of you._)

A light wind picked up and Sesshomaru stiffened as he caught the flowery scent that wrapped its way around his nose. Seemingly unconsciously he knelt down and lightly sniffed Kagome's hair. Not being able to stop himself he leaned forward and gave her exposed shoulder a tentative lick. Sesshomaru was barely able to contain the pleased moan. It was impossible for him to explain the flavor as he continued to attack the exposed skin causing a soft moan to escape from Kagome's sleeping form. The sound caused a purr to rumble its way threw his chest as he worked his way up towards her neck. When she let out a rather sensual moan he stopped and returned to the spot that had pulled that sound out of her and smirked as she let out another. He attacked the spot with licks, sucks, and nips as he reveled in the sounds she was making.

He felt a hand reach up and caress his face causing him to stiffen. That one touch caused reality to come crashing down on Sesshomaru and in a split second he had disappeared from the clearing completely. 'What the fuck was that?' raced threw Sesshomaru's mind as he sped away from the hot spring as fast as he could. When her flowery scent had surprised him he had gone into an almost trance and was unable to control his actions. Sesshomaru let out a growl as he slammed his fist into a passing tree. Nothing like that had ever happened to him before. So why did it happen now?

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><p>Kagome let out a slight whimper as she felt the presence disappear. Slowly Kagome opened her eyes and looked around as her sleepy mind tried to find the person making her feel all those wonderful things. "It felt so real..." Kagome whispered as she let herself slump against the edge of the spring again. She looked at her hand thoughtfully. Kagome could have sworn she had felt smooth warm flesh as she reached up to caress the face. She could even feel the soft silky white hair fall over her exposed damp breasts as the owner had attacked her neck with his mouth. Kagome let out a soft moan as she remembered the feeling as that mouth had found an extremely sensitive spot on her neck and focused on it. Kagome wiggled a little at the feeling in her lower abdomen. 'Fuck that dream made me horny...' Kagome thought with a sigh.<p>

"Inuyasha why am I dreaming of you...?" She whispered as she let out an unhappy irritated sigh.

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><p><em>So I hope you all enjoyed this chapter :D<em>

_Personally I love how this chapter turned out and to be completely honest is is 100% different then I had been thinking I'd make it. One little idea to have Kagome to enjoy the hot springs for a while turned the chapter into something completely new. Lol._

_I wanted to give you all a longer chapter but this felt like the right place to end this for now. _

_For all those wondering why she said Inuyasha's name in the end its because who else does she know that has white hair? ... That she would dream about? ;P All she had seen was his long white hair and she had felt his cheek so its an understandable mistake._

_Anyway! I hope you all enjoyed!_

_PLEASE **READ **AND **REVIEW!** _

_Remember reviews cause me to update faster! Who doesn't want that? Your reviews inspire me and an inspired Demon Chibi means faster writing!_

_Until next time! Enjoy!_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

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><p>I would like to wish all mothers out there a happy mothers day!<p>

I hope all mothers have a great day today. You all work so hard you deserve more then just one day to celebrate you!

So THANK YOU! for everything mothers!

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><p>Kagome let a growl work its way out of her mouth as she got off of Kirara. She was not in a good mood at all. The bath had worked wonders on her sore body but the dream about Inuyasha had put her in a foul mood. If it had been about anyone else it would have been pleasant but the fact that she had had such a dream about Inuyasha after everything he had done just pissed her off. Hell she'd be less pissed if it was about Naraku. She'd be grossed out and would probably feel nauseous but she wouldn't be in the current pissed off state she was in.<p>

When Kagome spotted Sesshomaru standing next to a bubbly Rin she let a malicious smirk work its way onto her face. She had just found the perfect stress reliever. Carefully she made her way around behind the demon and retrieved a practice sword that lay near by. Kagome hid the best she could and waited for Sesshomaru to be fully focused on Rin then attacked. To Kagome's satisfaction she had completely surprised the demon and sent him flying onto his ass.

Sesshomaru looked up at Kagome surprised but quickly got up and returned the attack. He cursed himself. He had been so lost in thought about what had happened at the hot spring that he hadn't even noticed Kagome's presence. After a few moments of fighting it was clear that Sesshomaru was distracted as Kagome sent him falling onto his ass again.

"Oh what's wrong? I thought you were a big bad demon lord but a puny human girl is tossing you around." Kagome said in a mock baby voice as she let a smirk work its way across her face as she watched Sesshomaru's eyes shift minutely. "Come on Fluffy show me what you got." With that last comment Sesshomaru bolted towards Kagome and the real fight was on.

"Kaede shouldn't we do something about this?" A concerned villager asked as the two fought tooth and nail.

"They will not kill each other." Kaede said walking away leaving more then one person dumbfounded.

After half an hour the two stood facing each other panting. After a moment Kagome let out a laugh and let herself fall backwards to land on the grass she was standing on. Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow in bewilderment at the girl. Out of no where she attacks him then just as suddenly she decides the fight is over.

"I feel better." Kagome said as she let her tense muscles relax. After the initial shock had worn off Kagome had been on the defensive for the rest of the fight but was pleased that she had managed to cause Sesshomaru to fall over a bucket and onto his face.

"You going to explain yourself girl?" Sesshomaru asked with his cold mask firmly in place.

"Stress reliever." She said pointing at him. "You're a good stress reliever Fluffy." Sesshomaru glared at Kagome and let a growl escape his lips at the little nickname she had come up with.

"Do not call me such ridiculous things." Sesshomaru growled.

"Oh you don't like Fluffy?" Kagome asked not opening her eyes. When she heard another growl she laughed. "Fine is Sesshy better?"

"You will call me Lord Sesshomaru." He said coldly as he looked down at the relaxed girl.

"Keep telling yourself that Sesshy."

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><p>"What the hell was that?" Miroku asked in shock as he replayed the scene between Kagome and Sesshomaru threw his head over and over again trying to make sense of it.<p>

"It seems a lot has happened that Kagome hasn't told us about." Sango said thoughtfully as she watched the two bicker back and forth. "Kagome looks happy." She thought out loud causing everyone to look back towards Kagome. She did look like she was enjoying herself.

"I have not seen her look that light hearted since before ..." Kaede let her sentence trail off almost as if mentioning the half-demon would break the fragile looking moment in front of them.

"I think Kagome will be just fine if she stays here." Sango said with a soft smile.

"I couldn't agree more." Miroku said taking Sango's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"What?" Shippo cried unhappily. He had been looking forward to having Kagome come back with them. "I don't want to leave her again." He whined pitifully.

Miroku looked at the kit thoughtfully then sighed. "If you want you can stay. The only reason we decided it was for the best if you left was to give Kagome and Inuyasha some space. Since that's not necessary any more I don't see why you couldn't stay with Kagome."

Sango looked over at him surprised and after a moment let out a sigh. "We will miss you dearly Shippo." Sango said petting the boy's hair.

Shippo looked between the two with a torn expression. He had grown to love living in Sango's village and loved living with his two friends. He had been so excited about being about to help Miroku and Sango with the baby that the idea of suddenly not returning with them was a shock.

"I think it would be the best if all of you spend another night so that Shippo can sleep on the idea." Kaede said noticing the young boy's face. Miroku and Sango exchanged a loaded look but nodded in agreement.

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><p>"You're leaving?" Kagome asked in surprise as she noticed her friends with their bags.<p>

"We've decided that we think you will do better if you stay here." Miroku said giving Kagome a sympathetic look as she tried to argue with them.

"You don't even realize it do you?" Sango asked taking her friend's hands. "Even just in the past two days you've changed. We all feel that you will return to your old self faster if you stay here and finish what you started with Sesshomaru."

Kagome opened her mouth to argue but was promptly cut off. After arguing for probably ten minutes Kagome sighed. She had lost and would remain with Kaede in the village.

"Kagome we care about you and you're more then welcome to join us but we just feel like this is the best place for you to be." Sango said hugging her friend. Kagome sighed but hugged her back.

"Good bye Kagome." Shippo said threw tears as he jumped up and clung to Kagome the moment she released Sango. After getting no sleep Shippo had decided that he would return with Sango and Miroku no matter how much he wanted to stay. 'Sango said I could visit whenever I want though.' Shippo thought to himself as he inhaled Kagome's scent one final time before releasing her. "I'll come visit soon! Come see me too sometime alright?" He asked and when Kagome nodded he sighed and let a smile brighten his face.

'Maybe she's right.' Kagome thought doubtfully as she watched her friends leave on Kirara.

"Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to start training Rin?" Sesshomaru asked irritatedly from where he now stood barely within earshot.

Kagome glared at him and held back an annoyed growl. 'Best for me my ass!' She thought irritatedly. "Hold your horses Sesshy I'm coming." She said and had to hold back her own smirk at the annoyed look that crossed Sesshomaru's face at the nickname.

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><p><em>So here's a little treat for all of you! As an apology and thank you for all the support and for making you all wait so long I decided to post the next chapter.<em>

_Two chapters in one day! What will you all do? :O lol_

_Anyway so after finishing the last chapter I had a good idea of how I wanted this chapter to go and well tada here it is lol. To be completely honest this chapter didn't turn out as I had planned, but just like the last chapter I like how it did turn out and think its better then my plan._

_So I hope you all enjoyed this!_

_Please_ **READ**_ and_ **REVIEW!**_**  
><strong>_

_Love you all!_

_Until next time! Enjoy!_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6**_

_So this chapter is extremely overdue and I apologize for that! To be completely honest between everything going on I've been more then a little uninspired. I know this chapter is short and I'm sorry but I hope this makes up for it a little._

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><p>"You're doing better." Kagome said approvingly as she watched Rin.<p>

"I am? What do you think Lord Sesshomaru?" Rin asked beaming. He only gave the smallest nod of confirmation. Kagome could only smirk in response to Sesshomaru's obvious bad mood. Ever since Sango had left that morning Kagome had taken every opportunity she could find to irritate him. "Kagome can we take a break now? I'm really hungry." Rin said looking up at Kagome.

Kagome thought for a moment before nodding. "Lunch sounds like a good idea." Ignoring Sesshomaru Kagome walked with Rin back to the village to eat knowing he wouldn't be too far behind. When they had just exited the tree line Rin looked back to notice that Sesshomaru had stopped walking and was scenting the air.

"My lord?" Rin asked questioningly breaking Sesshomaru out of his trance like state.

"I will meet up with you later." Sesshomaru said before taking off.

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><p>"I thought I smelled you halfbreed." Sesshomaru said coldly. "What are you doing here?"<p>

"None of your business bastard. What the hell are you doing here?" Inuyasha growled back. He refused to admit that his brother had managed to surprise him, nor the fact that Sesshomaru scared him a little at the moment. "This is my forest I've got every right to be here."

"You abandoned this place to go to your clay whore." Sesshomaru said coldly as he glared down at his sibling. For some reason beyond Sesshomaru's understanding seeing his brother made him feel a rage he was not accustomed to, but for some reason he knew that he had to stop Inuyasha from reaching the village. Inuyasha growled at Sesshomaru in response to the comment.

"It is none of your business what I do." Inuyasha growled. "I will not allow you to speak about Kikyo like that!" Inuyasha said before lunging for Sesshomaru.

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><p>"I wonder where Sesshomaru went?" Kagome whispered to herself absentmindedly.<p>

"Don't worry he'll be back soon." Rin said with a smile before taking another bite of her food.

"Who said I was worried?" Kagome said grumpily before eating some of her rice.

"You don't hide it well." Rin said with a shrug. "Kagome?" Kagome looked up to look at Rin. "Do you like Sesshomaru?" She asked with barely masked hope. The question made Kagome choke on her bite of rice so it took her a moment to answer Rin's seemingly innocent question.

"Why do you ask?" Kagome asked but when Rin didn't respond she sighed. "He's not that bad, but if you're asking if I have any romantic feelings for him then no. I'm sorry Rin." Kagome said when she noticed the girl slightly deflate at the answer.

At that moment Sesshomaru entered the hut effectively ending the conversation. "Human I need to speak to you." Sesshomaru said to Keade barely sparing Kagome a glance. Kaede looked at him curiously but got up to follow him out of the hut.

"What is troubling you Lord Sesshomaru?" Kaede asked noticing the troubled expression on Sesshomaru's face.

"I ran across Inuyasha's scent and followed it to him." Sesshomaru stated after a few minutes of silence. "I do not believe it wise for Kagome to see him again yet."

"Agreed." Kaede said after a moment. "How long before you think he might get here?"

"I intercepted him but he will only be unconscious for so long. It would be best if you found a reason for Kagome to leave the village immediately for a while." Sesshomaru said stressing the importance of this matter in his opinion.

"Thank you for the warning." Kaede said giving Sesshomaru a slight bow before turning to return to the hut. Half way there she turned to look at him. "Sesshomaru thank you for caring for her so much. Since you arrived she has changed in a way that I thought impossible." Kaede said with a warm motherly smile before turning again and walking the rest of the way to her hut.

"What was it Kaede?" Kagome asked when she entered the hut.

"Nothing my child." Kaede said walking over to a shelf and started looking for a specific paper. "I am going to need a favor of you. There has been an increase in the number of stomach related ailments in the past month. Due to the unexpected rise I have almost run out of a key herb for the treatment."

"I can get it no problem." Kagome said nodding.

"Thank you. The herb is hard to acquire since it only thrives far to the west." Kaede said with a grateful look.

"I can leave after lunch if you need me to." Kagome said thoughtfully.

"That would be wonderful." Kaede said with a smile as she sat down with a piece of paper. "This is what the herb I need looks like." She said handing the paper over to Kagome. The paper showed a picture of the plant along with information regarding where it tended to grow, what it looked like, and what it could be used for.

"Can I take this with me so I know for sure I've got the right herb?" Kagome said looking the picture over.

"Of course." Kaede said with a nod. That's when Sesshomaru entered the hut and sat down beside Rin.

"Do you have to go?" Rin asked sadly. She had been quiet the entire conversation and even though she knew how important the herb would be she didn't want to go without Kagome for that long.

"Oh?" Sesshomaru said questioningly looking at Kagome expectantly. Obviously the old woman had worked fast which pleased Sesshomaru greatly. He had worried that he would have to come up with a reason himself for Kagome to leave.

"Kaede needs me to gather some herbs for her so I wont be able to continue training for a while." Kagome said putting down her empty bowl. "If you'll excuse me I need to start packing."

"We will accompany you." Sesshomaru said matter of factly which froze Kagome in her place before she turned around slowly to glare at him.

"What was that fluffy?" She asked with a slight growl.

"You will not skimp out on your duty training Rin. You said yourself she is just starting to finally improve and I will not have that go to waste due to your extended absence." Sesshomaru said daring her to argue.

Kagome glared at him for a few moments before giving a defeated sigh and leaving the hut. "Are we going with Kagome?" Rin asked looking up at Sesshomaru hopefully.

"Yes Rin we are." Sesshomaru said with an internal smirk. This was bound to be interesting. "Now hurry up and finish we need to leave soon." Rin nodded in response and finished the rest of her food in silence. Less then half an hour later the three were ready to depart.

"Take care of yourselves." Kaede said looking over the three slightly worried. She didn't worry about Kagome or Rin's safety because between Kagome's archery and Sesshomaru's natural lethality nothing would be able to touch them. What Kaede worried about was the way Sesshomaru and Kagome tended to break into spontaneous fights recently. "Rin you're in charge of keeping these two in line. Understood?"

"Yes." Rin said with a smile as she looked back up at the woman.

"Lets just get going." Kagome said rolling her eyes at the pair. This was going to be a long trip and she just wanted to get it over with.

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><p><em>Well there you have it. I hope despite its length you all enjoyed it.<em>

_I am going to have a lot of time over the next week to write so I'm going to try to update all of my stories and get another chapter up for this._

_Please Read and Review._

_As always until next time! Enjoy!_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7**_

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><p><em>Well its extremely overdue but here you all go. My life has been crazy lately but I'm working on getting a new chapter up of everything so *runs off to work on the next story*. Anyway I've also posted a new story for you all to check out if you wish 'Dirty little secret'. Depending on what people think of it will determine if it's just a one-shot or if I add more to it!<em>

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><p>"Ouch..." Inuyasha growled as he slowly sat up. "Fucking asshole!" He swore as he rubbed his blood crusted head. 'He really didn't take it easy on me.' Inuyasha thought as he gingerly checked the gash on the back of his head. "Fuck." He growled out when pain shot from the still fresh wound. Inuyasha looked up and managed to figure out that he couldn't have been unconscious for more than an hour. "I'll get you for this bastard." Inuyasha growled as he took off after his brother's scent towards the village he had once called home.<p>

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><p>"Lady Kaede!" A villager called in distress. Kaede looked up from where she was teaching a young woman about herbs to see the man in a panic.<p>

"Calm down. Now what be the problem?" Kaede said as she slowly stood and made her way to the man. The man merely pointed towards the far side of the village where an obvious ruckus was occurring. Kaede nodded and made her way towards the area.

"You aren't welcome here anymore!" One villager shouted angrily. Kaede raised an eyebrow at that comment intrigued about who their guest was. When Kaede saw the angry red clad half-demon she knew so well she let out an irritated sigh before hardening her face and walking forward.

"Inuyasha." Kaede said in the coldest voice she could muster.

"Old woman." Inuyasha said walking towards her. "Tell these bastards to get lost." He snarled glaring at a few of the more vocal individuals. Kaede's expression didn't change as she lifted a hand to dismiss everyone. Everyone in the immediate area glared at Inuyasha one more time before whispering 'be careful' to Kaede and departing. "Has everyone here gone loony?" Inuyasha grumbled in his standard fashion.

"You are no longer welcome here Inuyasha." Kaede said with an emotionless expression on her face. "After what you did to Kagome you are lucky I haven't purified you yet." Kaede said letting a hint of her anger into her voice.

Inuyasha's ear twitched slightly in nervousness. 'Fuck.' He thought to himself as he tried to think quickly. "That's actually why I'm here." Inuyasha said quickly and continued when Kaede didn't immediately react. "I wanted to see Kagome in hopes of fixing what I've done. You can't imagine how horrible I feel. Kikyo put me under some sort of spell. It wasn't until a week ago that I some how managed to break out of it so I hurried back here." Inuyasha said adding an angry growl for effect. 'Not bad.' Inuyasha thought to himself proudly. "Where is she?" He asked with pleading eyes.

"Gone." Kaede said simply.

"What do you mean gone? I can still smell her scent." Inuyasha said slightly loosing his patience with the old bat.

"She has run a favor for me and will not return for some time." Kaede said carefully weighing every reaction Inuyasha had. Over the years she had known Inuyasha she had grown the ability to tell everything from his body language. She could tell when he was happy, sad, mad, impatient, telling the truth, and she could even tell when he was lying. At the moment she was getting a mixture of impatience, which was normal for the half-demon, and he was obviously lying but there was an intriguing undertone of some truth. The question for Kaede was which part of his statement was the truth?

"Where can I find Kagome? When did she leave?" Inuyasha asked finally loosing his patience and snapping.

"I will not tell you where Kagome went, but if you tell the truth then wait here for her return." Kaede said thoughtfully.

"Just tell me where she is and I'll go protect her. She's helpless without a protector." Inuyasha said smugly. The Kagome he knew couldn't walk five feet into the forest without almost becoming some demon's lunch. "She could get herself killed."

"If you go after her you will be the one killed Inuyasha."

"Is that a threat old woman?" Inuyasha growled glaring at her.

"No. That Inuyasha is a promise and a warning. Kagome is not the same weak girl you left behind." Kaede said before turning to walk away. "Yuki please watch Inuyasha for me and make sure he doesn't get into any trouble." Kaede said when she came to a young miko who trained under her. Yuki looked up in surprise but nodded silently albeit reluctantly. "Thank you child. Just come get help if something happens. I don't expect you to handle him by yourself." Kaede said reassuringly.

"As you wish Lady Kaede." Yuki said bowing respectfully.

"What! I don't need a babysitter!" Inuyasha called angrily after Kaede.

"If you are to stay here then that is the condition." Kaede said waiting for Inuyasha to object, but he merely glared at her before turning to walk away. 'Kagome make the best of your time with Sesshomaru. You will need him when you return.' Kaede thought with a sigh.

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><p>"Are we there yet?" Rin asked as she bounced between Sesshomaru and Kagome.<p>

"No."

"How about now?"

"No." Kagome twitched slightly. This had been going on for the past five minutes. How Sesshomaru put up with traveling long distances with the little girl amazed and dumbfounded Kagome.

"Sesshomaru?" Rin asked looking up at him. Kagome sighed slightly she was going to ask something different finally she hoped. "Why don't we just take your cloud there? I'm sure we could get there much faster that way." Kagome looked up in interest at that. She had completely forgotten that Sesshomaru could materialize a cloud to ride on when he desired.

"Rin you are fully aware that you are the only one I am able to bring with me." Sesshomaru said turning a cold look on Rin for her to be quiet.

"I suppose. Can't hurt to try though right?" Rin asked hopefully.

"Rin." Sesshomaru said with an obvious warning in his voice that caused Rin to pout but stop talking for now.

"Don't be so hard on her Sesshy." Kagome said reaching out to smack him lightly on the back of the head with the end of her bow. "She's just trying to help."

"Don't call me that ridiculous name." Sesshomaru said without much strength in his voice. Since they had left the village Kagome had found every possible chance to annoy him with the new nickname.

"If it makes you feel better you can call me Kags." Kagome said with a grin and laughed at the surprised look that momentarily crossed Sesshomaru's face.

'Kags...' Sesshomaru rolled the nickname over in his head a few times before deciding he rather liked it. "Kags huh?"

"Some of my old friends used to call me that." Kagome said with a smile liking how it sounded being said by Sesshomaru.

A few hours later they stopped to make camp for the night. Once everyone had bedded down for the night Sesshomaru let his mind wonder as he sat guard. 'Kags...' He thought once again. Over the past few hours he hadn't been able to get the nickname out of his head strangely enough. "Kags..." Sesshomaru whispered again liking the way it rolled off his tongue.

To his surprise a sleepy Kagome got up and walked over to him. "Kags?" He asked noticing the way Kagome swayed dangerously. "What is troubling you?" He almost jumped when she crouched down in front of him and commenced to crawl onto his lap. "Kagome!" Sesshomaru said slightly alarmed by her actions. What had gotten into the girl? Then he saw her place her hands on what was left of his arm and he flinched when he saw a warm light emanate from her hands. Sesshomaru braced himself for the pain that came with miko purifying powers but was shocked when no pain came. What he felt instead was a dull ache as warmth spread its way down his arm. After a minute Kagome sleepily nodded content with her work and let her hands fall. Sesshomaru curiously looked at his injured arm to see that she had restored it to its previous state. "Kagome..." Sesshomaru said at a lack for words. How did you thank someone for restoring something you thought forever gone?

A moment later he heard soft snoring and looked down to see Kagome had fallen back to sleep curled up on his lap resting against his chest. Deciding to not think about it any further Sesshomaru wrapped his arms around her and relaxed. His newly restored arm tingled but he decided it was in a good way. 'Thank you Kagome.' He thought to himself as he gently kissed the top of her head. 'She looks so fragile when she is asleep.' Sesshomaru thought to himself as he watched her sleep.

Unknown to Sesshomaru Rin watched from where she was supposed to be sleeping. Rin smiled slightly as she watched Sesshomaru and Kagome. 'I hope they can both finally be happy.' Rin thought before letting her eyes fall closed so sleep could take her.

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><p><em>So I hope you all liked this chapter!<em>

_Please Read and Review!_

_Also check out my other work! :3_

_Until next time! Enjoy!_


	8. A note to the readers

**A note to the readers**

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><p>I would like to apologize to everyone for the long delay between chapters. I realize its been months (in some cases <strong>quite<strong> **a few** months) since I last updated. A lot has been going on from relationship problems, to job problems, to moving, all the way to my laptop breaking.

After way too long things are starting to settle down (I know this isn't the first time I've said this but this time for sure!). My laptop is also getting fixed and I should have it back within a few days. My muse is directly connected to my laptop. I've tried writing on other computers or even with a paper and pen. It's futile.

I know a lot of you are worried that I've stopped writing and that I've abandoned my stories. THIS IS NOT TRUE! I have every intention to update all of my ongoing stories as soon as possible. I would like to thank you all for your continued patience and support! I make no promises for when I'll have new chapters up because its impossible to control inspiration. My only promise is that I haven't abandoned any of my work and that I will be updating in the (hopefully) near future.

All my love

_**~Demon Chibi**_


	9. Chapter 8

__**Chapter 8**__

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><p><em>So here's the long awaited chapter I promised all of you way too long ago. I'd like to apologize for the long wait even though I said it'd be soon. About a month ago I changed jobs (AGAIN) and have been doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and working (literally I spend between 13 and 14 hours of my day at work due to transportation issues). Then on my days off I'm too exhausted to do anything more than sleep the day away.<em>

_Enough of the excuses. That's not what you're all here for now is it?_

_No._

_Here's the eighth chapter (are we already up to EIGHT? *looks threw chapter list* huh wow yes yes we are) to Moving on at last. It's a little short but I hope you enjoy it._

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><p>Kagome turned snuggling into her warm pillow and sighed contently. It had been a long time since she had woken up this comfortable and at ease. When she felt a hand caress her hair she froze suddenly taking in her surroundings without opening her eyes. She could tell she was cuddled up in someones lap. How had she gotten there? When had she gotten there? Who's lap was she in? Kagome calmed herself as her mind tried to send her into a panic. Focusing on her senses Kagome could hear Rin giggling close by so that meant she was still with the group. Next she noticed the slightly sharp tips to the fingers that ever so gently caressed her hair. If you added to that the silky soft robes she could feel beneath her fingers and the soft fluffy thing she was currently using as a pillow there was only one conclusion that could be made. Kagome opened her eyes slowly and looked up.<p>

"Good morning." Sesshomaru whispered softly as he let his hand still. Kagome looked up at him slightly confused and slightly disappointed that he'd stopped the gentle ministrations. "Hungry?" He asked not answering the obvious question on her face. Kagome's opened her mouth to speak but at that moment her stomach let out a rebellious embarrassing growl that caused Sesshomaru to chuckle. "I'll take that as a 'yes'." Without releasing Kagome he reached into a bag which sat next to him and pulled out some bread the village had supplied them with before leaving. He handed a piece to Kagome which she excepted silently. He was acting like her waking up in his lap was just some common thing which confused Kagome even more. After taking a few bites Kagome looked up at Sesshomaru who was currently watching his young ward pick some flowers.

"So … Sesshy … um … how did I end up in your lap?" Kagome asked feeling awkward. The only time she'd ever slept in someones lap had been that one time when she had gotten hurt and passed out while Inuyasha had carried her. They hadn't been able to reach the village before nightfall so he had held her that night while she slept. Kagome looked back at the memory and felt the same pain that all of her memories involving Inuyasha caused.

Sesshomaru saw the play of emotions across the young woman's face but decided not to confront her about them. "You crawled into my lap while you slept last night." Sesshomaru said not bringing up his restored arm quite yet.

"Oh... I'm sorry. I don't know what could have gotten into me." Kagome said looking thoroughly embarrassed and quickly tried to rise. Sesshomaru squeezed his arm tighter around her waist causing her to just fall back down into his lap. She gave him a confused look. Why had he stopped her? Sesshomaru just stayed silent while he used his newly restored hand to brush a loose hair out of Kagome's face and secure it behind her ear. They sat for a few seconds in silence. Sesshomaru waited for Kagome to realize what she'd done and Kagome sat in bewilderment as to why he wouldn't let her go.

It took a full two minutes for the look of realization Sesshomaru had been waiting for to cross Kagome's face. Kagome looked down in wonder at the hand Sesshomaru didn't have wrapped around her waist. "But how...?" Kagome gently grasp it with both hands and turned it over examining the entire arm in wonder. It was whole and it was real without even a slight scar where it had been severed.

"You restored it." Sesshomaru said as he watched her look over his arm and gently touch it. He had to suppress a shiver. It had been too long since a woman had touched him like that. When Kagome finally looked up at him with obvious surprise in her eyes he continued. "Last night after you crawled into my lap you used your powers to restore it." He paused to let the information sink in. "Thank you Kags. Thank you." Sesshomaru said softly letting his awe and appreciation show on his normally blank face. While Kagome drank in his expression he leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her cheek then whispered again next to her skin "Thank you." Kagome had to hold back a shiver at the touch of his lips but all together failed when he spoke.

Sesshomaru mentally smirked as he noticed the shiver that went threw the young woman. Slowly he pulled back and examined her. She had her eyes closed as she tried to process the feeling she had just had due to his lips. Before he could say anything more Rin came bouncing over.

"Kagome!" She squealed happily effectively breaking the small bubble the two had been in. Kagome looked up at the girl in shock and quickly retreated from Sesshomaru's lap. This time he let out an inaudible sigh and allowed her retreat. "Look look look what I made for you!" Rin giggled excitedly. She motioned for Kagome to lean down which the young woman did. Rin put the gift on her head and motioned for Kagome to stand up. Kagome reached onto her head and felt the crown of flowers Rin had placed there and smiled. She hadn't received one of these in longer than she could remember. Near the end of the journey for the jewelshards Sesshomaru and his young ward had traveled with them for a bit and everyday the little girl would give her a new crown. When she asked why Rin had responded simply 'because they suit you' then she had giggled and run off to make a collar of flowers for Kilala. Without realizing it a tear had escaped the corner of her eye at the memory. Rin looked up at Kagome with a knowing look on her face and simply held Kagome's hand. The young girl often acted silly and childish but no one had yet realized how mature and knowledgeable she was.

Sesshomaru watched the scene with a small smile. Rin got along with most people but seemed to have a special connection to the young woman. "We should pack up and get going." He said drawing both the girl's attention to himself as he stood. The girls nodded and the three of them proceeded to pack up what little they needed to.

* * *

><p>Inuyasha let out a low irritated growl. At the moment he was sitting with Yuki peeling potatoes for the evening meal. He, Inuyasha the one that had singlehandedly killed Naraku (in his mind anyway), was peeling fucking potatoes! He tossed his butchered potato into the basket of peeled potatoes. "Why are you making me peel these damn potatoes?!" Inuyasha growled as he picked up another.<p>

"Are you planning on eating the evening meal?" Yuki asked not looking up from her work.

"Obviously." Inuyasha growled glaring at her.

"Then you will help prepare it." Yuki said with a note of finality in it. Inuyasha glared daggers at her but remembered what Kaede had said the night before and swore but started peeling the next potato in his hands. Yuki gave a mental sigh. At first she had been scared of the half-demon but after only a few hours of being put in charge of him she had come to a realization. Dealing with him was like dealing with an ill-tempered child. He would bitch and moan just like the children Yuki normally cared for. She gave an internal laugh who would have thought taking care of the villages children would have taught her how to deal with Inuyasha.

* * *

><p>"I HATE slug demons!" Kagome screamed in irritation. As they had been debating stopping for the evening a slug demon had shown up and tried to attack Rin. Within the blink of an eye Kagome had drawn her bow and released an arrow which shined with miko energy. The arrow had hit its mark causing the demon to explode from the flood of miko power. So now group was covered in slime and other unmentionable fluids. Now the two girls were on there way to a nearby spring to clean up.<p>

"It could be worse." Rin grumbled as she walked next to Kagome.

Kagome had to agree but it still didn't make her happy. Once they reached the spring the two disrobed in silence and sank into the warm water. "This is exactly what the doctor ordered." Kagome said before dipping her head under the water. Once she resurfaced she turned to help Rin clean herself of all the stinky slime. When she was sure she had done what she could she quickly scrubbed herself.

"Kagome..." Rin said as she watched the woman make quick work of the disgusting slime.

"Yes?" She responded absentmindedly.

"What do you think of Lord Sesshomaru?"

Kagome froze and turned to the little girl in shock. "What do you mean?"

"What do you think of him?" Rin repeated as if it was the most obvious question.

"Well..." Kagome trailed off trying to think of what to say about the man. Her opinion on him had changed so drastically that she didn't even quite know herself what she thought.

"Do you hate him?" Rin asked seeing the difficulty Kagome was having with the simple question.

"What? NO!" Kagome said in complete shock. "No, I don't hate him anymore. I'm not sure if I ever did." She said thoughtfully. "I never understood him. One moment he would attack us and the next he would save us."

She remembered the final battle with Naraku and how Inuyasha had abandoned her to help Kikyo. Kagome had been much weaker then and it was all she could do to hold off the few demons that swarmed towards her. Within minutes Kagome was overwhelmed and feared for her life. As she thought death was going to claim her Kagome saw a streak of white launch itself at the mob of demons around her. The next second Kagome found herself free of the demons and behind Sesshomaru. He had come and saved her life. She had no doubt that if it weren't for him she wouldn't have made it out of that battle alive. He spent the rest of the battle next to her side helping to protect her.

"He's a good man." Kagome said at last with a thoughtful look on her face. "He's hard to understand but he's kind and gentle." Kagome added the last part as she remembered the soft caresses she'd received that very morning.

Rin smiled softly at the look that came over Kagome's face as she spoke of Sesshomaru. Rin had no doubt whatsoever that the young woman cared deeply for Sesshomaru. "He cares for you." Rin said offhandedly.

"What would make you think that?" Kagome said in disbelief.

"I've known him for years Kagome. I've been by him every second of every day. I know him better than he knows himself. He may not realize it but he cares about you and has for a while now." Rin said sagely.

Kagome fell silent at the young girls words. The rest of the night Kagome stayed quiet lost in her own thoughts. When they returned to the campsite Sesshomaru had looked at Kagome curiously as the girl didn't say a word but prepared for bed.

'He cares about me? Is that true?' Kagome couldn't get the thought out of her head. 'What do I think of him?'. That night Kagome fell asleep to a whirlwind of thoughts all revolving around a certain silver haired demon lord.

* * *

><p><em>Well there you go.<em>

_I hoep you all enjoyed it even if it was short._

_... *looks up as Lilly comes running into my room* ..._

_*picks her up and lets her cuddle with me on the bed*_

_Well I guess Lilly is going to say 'hi' to everyone *holds up and waves Lilly's paw*_

_Until next time. Enjoy!_


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